The Thin Line Between Life and Death
by bellezagotica
Summary: A different take on Half-Blood Prince.


**The Thin Line (Between Life and Death)**

**Disclaimer **_I do not own any Harry Potter characters, but I do own this idea for the story._

**Summary **_Draco Malfoy, having been given orders to murder headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, by Lord Voldemort, is contemplating on whether or not to fulfill his duty, or to just end his life, right then and there . . . when an unexpected lover from afar discovers him on the top of the Astronomy Tower on a warm, summer night . . ._

**Author's Note **_I just thought I'd _stray away _from the usual canon couples and try a different couple instead. And please, no flames. This is all in good fun. _

**Warning **MAJOR_ fluff at the end!_

It was nearly midnight, and a boy with white-blond hair clambered his way silently up a stone staircase. He stopped himself quickly as he almost ran into a door, coming to the top of the tower. He drew out a long, slender wand from the inside pockets of his school robes, muttered, "Alohamora!" and pushed past the door. A cool breeze played pleasantly throughout his sleek hair, but he ignored it and went to sit on a side wall. A full moon hung high in a blanket of black sky and stars speckled everywhere the eye could see.

Draco Malfoy stared at the lake, which was a distance off if at ground level. From the top of the Astronomy Tower, it looked like a deadly fall to the ground. The boy watched as a long tentacle stretched from underneath the water's surface and into the sky. He shivered as he stared at the glassy-black water, losing himself in its dark appearance . . . Dark like Voldemort.

A shiver spread through the sixteen year-old boy. Not because he was cold from the weather, but by a thought that entered his mind. One that haunted him constantly.

After Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father - a Death Eater - was sent to Azkaban, Lord Voldemort appointed him as a new Death Eater in place of his father. His mother, Narcissa, believed it was revenge. Revenge after Lucius failed to protect the Horcrux (encased in Tom Riddle's diary) in the second year at Hogwarts, and failing to steal the Prophecy from the Ministry of Magic only a year ago, which _Potter _(Draco scowled at the thought of his rival Harry) had taken before You-Know-Who's followers could.

As a new Death Eater, Draco was ordered by the Dark Lord to kill the Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. And if he did not do so, Voldemort would kill Draco himself . . .

Without realizing it, tears sprang forth in the Slytherin boy's eyes. He didn't _want _to serve his "master" anymore! And more so, he didn't want to be killed at the hand of the Dark Lord . . . to die a slow painful death, to be killed by _Avada Kedavra_ . . .

At first, Draco thought it would be great to be called upon by the Dark Lord. But it wasn't, after all. Not after he found out he would die if he did not fulfill his duties. The boy shivered at the thought, and a cold, empty feeling churned in his stomach.

Draco no longer wanted to be Lord Voldemort's pawn, and he didn't want to be killed, either, of course. Although . . . Draco had discovered a way out of this conflict, but just one way . . . or so he thought.

Without hesitation, the boy leapt to his feet and started to climb atop one of the outer walls of the tower. His feet poking out from the edge, Draco chanced looking below him and felt the air inside him tighten as he realized just how high up he was . . . He tried to clear his mind of all thoughts and he frowned as he could not rid himself of them. Biting his lip, Draco closed his eyes, feeling the cool air swirl around him and he just realized how comfortable he felt at this moment . . . at the thought that maybe something good would turn out of this: he wouldn't have to obey that bloody Dark Lord any longer . . .

Just as he was about to lean forward, a small voice cried out, breaking the haunting silence of what was to become of Draco. "Draco, stop! Please!"

A red-haired girl seemed to suddenly appear out of no where. As he turned his head, Draco recognized that hair and that freckled face . . . It was Ginny. Ginny's "coming out of no where" was only due to that she must have borrowed that Potter boy's Invisibility Cloak and followed Draco to the top of the tower . . . But, _why? _was the question. Why would a - a _Weasley _follow him, a Malfoy?

Draco spun around, and started to lose his balance. Ginny cried out again and ran to his aid, catching hold of his arm before he fell to his self-planned death. "Draco . . . Draco," she breathed. "Why are you doing this? What's wrong?" Her warm hands wound around his arm. Only then did he notice he was very cold, after all . . . Then it hit him. _She's . . . she's holding me! What's wrong with her? I - I . . . _Enjoy it? Was that what Draco was about to think? He never tolerated the Weasley boys, and yet, he was allowing their little sister to hold his arm, to save him from his foolish choice.

The blonde opened his mouth to retort, could not think of anything to argue with her about, and distanced himself from her. When he felt the space between them was good enough, he took in Ginny's appearance now.

She had grown much since she first came to Hogwarts. Draco was just in his second year. Her red hair was a deal longer now, past her shoulders to the middle of her back. She was in her pajamas, naturally, since it was past curfew for the students to be out roaming in the school. The girl wore a matching powder blue shirt and capris. Her tank top had a large "G" with clouds and stars behind it. Draco didn't know if it stood for _Ginny _or _Gryffindor. _Her jacket hung uselessly around her elbows and she stared long and hard at the boy in front of her with her brown eyes full of expression.

That's when Draco just finally collapsed and broke down, letting out all his worries that he had kept inside him for too long. Longer than he should have. But he had no one to express his troubles to; Crabbe and Goyle were much too stupid, and Pansy was a bit of an annoying prat. (He shuddered as he imagined Pansy saying, "Oh, Dracie, tell me _all _about your problems!") The tears that Draco had held back earlier sprang forward once more and Ginny kneeled down next to him, resting her hand on his handsome shoulder and bending her head low to his, so that their faces were only an inch apart . . .

And so, when Ginny asked him to explain to her everything, he started with how his parents don't care for him, his father was in Azkaban, and that Lord Voldemort would kill him if he didn't succeed in his "duty" . . .

Gulping, Draco nodded his head to signal he was done. Ginny's face fell at hearing Voldemort would murder him. The idea that Ginny was a wonderful listener came to the boy's mind suddenly and he couldn't help but grin with relief. The girl comforting him took notice of this and asked him what was up.

"Er, nothing, nothing." Draco said in an unconvincing tone.

Ginny shot him a skeptical look. "Hmm, doesn't seem like_ nothin' _. . ." She took a step closer to him and leaned down till she was right in front of her face.

This made Draco extremely nervous and slightly frustrated. _What the hell is she doing? _he thought, _Is she trying to mess with my head by distracting me like that?_

"Draco . . ." her voice brought him back to his senses. The boy looked down as he realized she was gripping his arm reassuringly. Even though, and he really hated to admit it, he enjoyed the fact she was touching him, he had to make her think he wasn't interested her. It broke him as he thrusted his arm away from her hand and he pretended to sulk off a few feet away. But the look on Ginny's face, that sad puppy face she had . . . Were those . . . _tears _in her eyes?

Guilt flushed through Draco and he returned to her. "Weasley . . ." he stopped himself. "Er, _Ginny_ . . . I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that . . . I -"

But the girl cut him off by brushing her fingers on his cheek. The sixth-year boy shivered at her gentle touch and his face grew very hot in his reaction. Ginny smirked.

"Draco Malfoy," she began, "You're not _blushing _now, are you?"

Draco's eyes widened in shock for only a split moment, but he masked it by glaring. "How stupid is that! I, a Malfoy, blushing in front of a - a Weasley? I laugh at that."

There went her skeptical look again. She leaned closer . . .

Draco didn't realize what he was doing. What _was _he doing? His hands had found their way to the back of Ginny's head and pushed her forward into his own face, so that her lips caught on his. Even though his heart hammered while he did this, he secretly wished to not stop. And it surprised him that Ginny did not even _try _to resist; she just settled herself onto his knee.

When they broke apart, Ginny was grinning at the sight of a very red-faced Draco Malfoysmiling to himself. Then he suddenly spoke."Ginny, I - thank you . . ."

"For what?"

"For . . . for listening to me . . . when I had no one . . . and you made me see that, well, err . . . you're not that bad a person after all . . ." His voice had diminished to a murmur at those last words and his ears were reddening with embarrassment.

Ginny, however, grinned. "Glad to hear so. And _you_" - she poked him in the chest playfully - "are not so bad yourself." She glanced at her watch. "Ooooh, we'd better get back to the castle!" The two turned around and looked as the sun was starting to rise in the sky. "C'mon, get under here!" Ginny hissed. She threw Harry's Invisibility Cloak around both of them and they hurried back to the castle.

Draco wanted to walk Ginny back to Gryffindor Tower. She took the cloak off them and stuffed it into her jacket's pocket. When they got to the Fat Lady's portrait, she turned back to Draco, stood on her tip-toes, and kissed him on the cheek, smiling at him broadly.

Draco blushed and placed his hand on his cheek wonderingly. He turned back to look at the girl, whose eyes were twinkling at him as she walked through the portrait hole. The boy turned and slowly made his way back to Slytherin Tower.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just coming back from the Owlery when Harry suddenly stopped dead in his tracks - Ron and Hermione running dead-smack into him - and asked in a bewildered voice, "Was that just . . . _Malfoy _a-and _Ginny _together in front of the Fat Lady?"

Either Ron was too startled or too tired, but he did not make a comment to Harry's discovery.

Hermione merely smiledat the prospect. _Maybe she had known something the two boys didn't . . ._

Just inside the portrait hole sat Ginny Weasley, smiling dreamily as she reminisced her night with Draco. _Yes, _she thought, _he really is not that bad, after all . . ._

**The End.**


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